Service Accessibility training for the staff of Assuta Medical Center

February 16-17 was the last of a series of training programs given by Access Israel to Assuta Medical Center personnel at the Assuta Training Center in Ramat Hachayal, Tel Aviv.

Trainings were opened with a lecture about basic accessibility terms, which was the introduction for a full day of experiences.

After the lecture, participants passed through various stations where they could experience firsthand different kinds of disability and restrictiveness.

For sight impairment, the participants walked in darkness, trying to trust the person leading them.

In the mobility impairment station, they attempted to fill out forms with movement restricting gloves, simulating the difficulty experiences by a person with limited hands action; and they also crossed a wheelchair obstacle course in order to experience the day-today struggles of wheelchair-confined people.

Following these activities was a station dedicated to cognitive impairments, where participants were asked to try to open a box under pressure. The seemingly simple box was not simple and required out-of-the–box thinking. The built-in difficulties and the stressing environment brought home the challenges of daily functions facing the cognitively/mentally impaired person.

Mext was the hearing impairment station, where participants tried lip-reading in total silence as well as basic comprehension of sign language.

We would like to point out that all trainings are given by disabled instructors, which makes the whole experience that much more personal, as participants can attach a face to the stigma and get to have a two-way dialogue with the instructors.

After all these stations and experiences, participants gathered to talk about what they had learned and summarize their day. It was clear that they understood the importance of service and environment accessibility and of raising awareness in society at large.

We are proud to say that after many such trainings, most of the Assuta Medical Center staff have been trained in service accessibility by Access Israel.